The central part of the island of Formentera is a neck of land approximately 1400 metres wide between the north and south coasts which is characterised by a practically flat topography and a hard clay soil, covered with a fine layer of earth. The construction of the area consists of long, narrow plots oriented north-south, delimited by parallel stone walls that stretch to the Migjorn coast. The road network is made up of private tracks parallel to these walls and connecting the different houses with their agricultural lands, and perpendicular to the Camí Vell de la Mola, which is the island’s most important traditional main road. Na Blanca d’en Mestre is located in this area (es Pla d’en Mestre), characterised by a slight topographical depression which collects the surface runoff, thus favouring the presence of the best- developed fig trees on the island.

This is the description and drawing of ficus carica, the common fig tree present on the island of Formentera, which Deodendron describes thus: “Spherical form, with dense foliage, numerous spreading branches. Sometimes occurs in bush form. Its wood sprouts roots with great strength, therefore it is easily reproduced from cuttings.” These general characteristics, together with the island’s specific environmental conditions, have given rise to a type of cultivation based on an organic-artificial structure.

The strong winds with a northerly compo- nent that lash Formentera, especially the flat and unprotected region of es Pla d’en Mestre, along with the proximity of the coast which means that the air is heavily salt-laden, affect fig tree growth by displac- ing the crown and the trunk towards the south and burning the leaves most exposed to the cold and the salt. Furthermore, the branches of the fig, a fast-growing tree with wood that has little resistance to flexion, tend to break under the force of the wind and fall to the ground, where they sprout again in the form of roots, progressively getting weaker.

For the reasons mentioned, cultivation of fig trees in Formentera has developed using a model based largely on the following needs: reducing the surface area of the crown exposed to the wind to a minimum, avoiding any twisting and displacement of the trunk and crown due to the wind, and avoiding the branches entering into contact with the ground.Based on the tree (composed of the trunk, the branches, the crown and the roots), the construction of fig trees in Formentera is developed around a system of props (estalons), which support beams (perxes) arranged in a concentric way around the trunk, with the tree’s branches directly resting upon them.

The estalons, which transmit the vertical load of the branches to the ground, are trunks of pine wood, of ullastre (wild olive) or of juni- per, with the upper end in a Y-shape to allow the perxes to rest on them. The lower part is driven approximately 15cm into the ground to prevent animals from moving them. The union of each estaló with the perxa and the branches as well as the lower union with the ground are jointed, allowing for the natural growth and movement of the tree without these causing the collapse of the structure.

The estalons, which act as props or pillars, do not prevent the wind from managing to rotate the crown and the trunk of the fig tree, destabilising the structure, and for this reason the farmers usually alternate each estaló with a peu de poll, which is made up of two estalons that converge towards a sole upper support (in the form of an invert- ed “v”) creating a triangulation that acts as a brace in the form of a Saint Andrew’s cross which supports the whole. A circumference or circumference arc of perxes, estalons and peus de poll makes up a perxada.

Na Blanca d’en Mestre is today the most developed fig tree on the island. From the trunk, with a circumference of 2 metres increasing to 3 metres at the base, the main branches spread out from a height of 1.30 metres (lower branches are cut to avoid them “burying themselves”), thus creating a space suitable for picking the fruit and pro- tecting sheep and goats from the sun while preventing them from reaching the figs. The first perxada, formed by a polygonal circular beam composed of wooden perxes that lie on the 15 estalons and 7 alternating peus de poll, stands at a variable distance of between 4.30 and 4.80 metres from the axis of the trunk, thus defining a clear circular space around it.

From the first perxada the structure of the fig tree, and consequently the auxiliary structure, assume an asymmetrical con- figuration owing to the force exercised by the north wind which pushes the tree towards the south and leads to greater development and weight of the southern part of the crown, which is more sheltered and exposed to the sun.If the perxades 1, 2 and 3 are continual, we see how on the southern half of the crown two intermedi- ate semi-perxades appear, 1 bis and 2 bis, a consequence of the fig tree’s natural tendency to grow towards the south, a phe- nomenon that is manifested in the different radii of the perxades 2 and 3 at their north and south extremes.

As the cross-section of the branches decreases and we move further away from the trunk, so the gaps become smaller and the perxes and estalons narrower. Thus it can be observed how perxades 2, 3 and 2 bis have been made using corrugated steel measuring 25mm in diameter, this material having substituted the traditional wooden perxes. The constructive process of the Formentera fig tree (estalonar) is a com- munity task that due to the tree’s growth develops over time by moving the estalons and creating new perxades; furthermore, deterioration of the materials means that maintenance tasks are constant throughout the tree’s entire life.

Joan ‘Mestre’ explains that the parts most prone to deterioration are the bases of the estalons, their point of contact with the ground which, in most cases, to avoid com- plete substitution, are usually cut and raised using a stone that acts as a foundation.

The figs can be picked from underneath, using a rod that is open at the top end (nyacadora) or from the crown by walking on the branches. The fig tree marks out a variable circular space of large dimensions. The construction of a prop structure allows greater development of the branches which intertwine in a way that lets through light and air, perfumed in summer by the tree’s own aroma. It becomes a habitat/shelter for people and animals during the different season of the year.

Víctor Rahola Aguadé, Stefano Cortellaro & Marià Castelló.

Translated by Debbie Smirthwaite

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